Expand domestic violence protections to all romantic relationships

As women, with so many of our rights increasingly under attack in our political climate, it’s rare to find an opportunity to significantly move forward to protect our lives. Now, in Oregon, we have such an opportunity, to ensure that no one in our state will be allowed to have a gun if they have been convicted of domestic violence or currently are the target of a restraining order.

Domestic violence continues to be an epidemic in our country, with one in three women experiencing it in some form in our lifetime. If violence between partners, known as Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), involves a firearm, fatalities often follow. Indeed, the FBI reports that each month 52 women are shot and killed by their intimate partners.

Now we can save lives by removing those firearms from the situation. Already, there are good laws on the books in Oregon that restrict firearm privileges for those domestic partners who are convicted of violent crimes. Yet those laws do not apply to partners who are not cohabiting, and the law does not require the removal or surrender of firearms when domestic violence restraining or protective orders are issued.

While Oregon has taken steps in the right direction to address the poison cocktail of guns and domestic violence, many states have surpassed us by closing what sometimes is called the boyfriend/girlfriend loophole. It is time Oregon joins that club for the well-being of our collective public health.

Firearms pose more than a threat to physical health. It is important to note that the victims can often suffer from mental health issues as a direct result of living with the fear of gun violence. Many medical groups such as the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics have been outspoken about gun violence being a public health issue and are supportive of policies that can simultaneously increase public safety and public health.

The Oregon Chapter of the National Organization for Women enthusiastically supports closing the boyfriend/girlfriend loophole (Senate Bill 797) as we see that it is such a policy. And we’re not alone — 74 percent of Oregon voters support prohibiting anyone convicted of stalking or a domestic violence restraining order from purchasing a gun.

We need pioneers to ensure the safety of victims of domestic abuse and lead the country in common sense gun law reform. We hope that the Legislature makes us proud in 2017.

Michelle Ganow-Jones of Portland is executive director of Oregon National Organization of Women. She can be reached at michelle@noworegon.org.